Kneecap’s outrageous comments are simply wrong, no if’s no buts. Three young men who seem to have no idea about the recent history of Palestine. They give their support to Hamas and Hezbollah. These groups receive resources and support from Iran, a theocratic, authoritarian, misogynistic regime that has murdered dozens of young women and executed young men protesting for the simple choice of whether a woman wears a Hijab. Hamas were democratically elected in 2006 and since, has never felt the need to go back to the electorate, just to add, they support the strict implementation of Sharia Law. According to a Human Rights Watch researcher, the Hamas-controlled government of Gaza stepped up its efforts to “Islamize” Gaza in 2010. These efforts included the “repression” of civil society and “severe violations of personal freedom”. In addition, anyone who speaks against them is dealt with brutally, just ask the family of 22-year-old Oday al-Rubai, who was abducted by armed gunmen from a refugee shelter in Gaza City and killed. I get it, Hamas were born out of the first Intifada, but please do not conflate supporting the right of the Palestinian people to have a state and supporting Hamas.
I have written over half a dozen blogs about the war in Gaza and have stated clearly that the Israeli government has and continues to commit war crimes and genocide. The IDF has killed thirty thousand Palestinian women and children since the start of Israel’s retribution. I have also made the point that what is happening in Gaza is worse than the Warsaw Ghetto in the 1940s.
John Manley, the political editor of the Irish News, whose political analysis in general can best be described as mediocre, said that Kneecap’s comments were blown out of all proportion. Then he went on to say that the outrage over their comments was a conspiracy to shut down those calling out genocide in Gaza. Well, Mr Manley, it has not stopped me. Just as a matter of interest, could you point out a substantive article about the tragedy in Gaza that you have written in the Irish News? It seems that Mr Manley does not know the difference between free speech and inciting violence, and there is no absolute right to free speech. He went on to conflate Kneecap’s comments with artistic license, showing clearly that he has no idea of what art is. His daft logic went further, when asked about David Amis’s daughter’s response to the comments by Kneecap, that a good Tory is a dead Tory, his response was, wait for it, David Amis’s daughter was not aware of what Kneecap said until someone alerted her, it’s called breaking news. If Mr Manley had any wit, he should have advised the band to make a substantial donation to the Jo Cox Foundation. To no one’s surprise, Chris Donnelly supported the editorial line with his usual whataboutery.
Unfortunately, our television channels and newsprint have failed to get new and real progressive social democratic and insurgent voices on their programmes and opinion pages. The unfortunate reality is that, whatever the subject, our media are comfortable going back to the visionless dinosaurs of a distant political past.
Suneil Sharma
Apologies for the late response, I was on holiday, and it was my birthday.
9th May 2025
The Gob 
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